This invention relates generally to the field of contracting, and in particular to the creation of bid proposals used by a contractor in an attempt to secure a construction project. More specifically, the invention provides systems and methods which are particularly useful in assisting the contractor in producing a bid from representative drawings which illustrate the construction project.
One important aspect of a contractor's job is the procurement of construction projects. This is typically performed by having the contractor place a bid proposal for an upcoming project. The bid proposal is then compared with those submitted by other contractors. Based at least in part on this proposal, the client will select one of the contractors to complete the project.
When placing a bid, it is in the contractor's best interest to closely estimate the costs involved in completing the project. Such costs can include, for example, material costs, labor costs, insurance costs, and the like. Once these costs are determined, the contractor adds a profit margin to the estimated costs and submits this with the proposal. To help in producing the bid estimate, the contract is provided with representative drawings, such as blue-prints, which illustrate the project. From these drawings, the contractor needs to determine which parts and other materials will be needed to complete the project.
The amount of time and effort required to determine the parts and materials, as well as their associated costs, that will be needed for a project can be staggering. The amount of labor required to complete the project can also be difficult to determine since this is often directly tied to the particular parts and materials which are selected. Further, since a contractor will want to present a competitive bid while still being able to produce a profit, the contractor will want to determine the most cost effective parts and materials needed to complete the project. Moreover, the contractor will want to be confident that the estimates are accurate so that the most competitive proposal may be bid.
Hence, it would be desirable to provide systems and methods which would assist the contractor in determining the parts and materials that will be needed to complete a project. It would be further desirable if such systems and methods provided estimates relating to the costs of such parts and materials and the labor needed to install them. It would also be desirable if such systems and methods assisted the contractor in designing the system so that a minimal amount of parts and labor will be required or that the most cost effective materials may be chosen. Such systems and methods should also be accurate, easy to use and reduce the time and effort required by the contractor to produce the bid.